Desperately Seeking Chocolate Coins

It seems like yesterday but once again I'm faced with the annual challenge of a suitable gift for Mister Barlin's birthday. I love giving gifts but find it difficult to putting together something inspiring and unique for men and after some thinking, I settled on a jar of chocolate coins but alas, these are very much a seasonal product so when I searched through various department and specialist stores at Chermside, I came up with nought. Where was I going to find the rest? After snatching up four bags in Big W CBD, I recalled the TV advertisements for Tom's Confectionery Warehouse, a crazy Brisbane icon that indeed trades every day 8am - 9pm except Christmas. So with Spensley in tow, we arrived to find every chocolate and sweet under the sun including these giant Easter Bunnies. You can purchase this one kilogram rabbit as shown by my lovely assistant for less than $30.

After composing ourselves, we found the chocolate coins we sought, piled them into a pretty jar and popped it into the post. A creative, unique and attract gift sourced for another year. Huzzah!

Double Chocolate Freckles

Carmen of Awesome's birthday is upon us again and to help celebrate I decided to make these Double Chocolate Freckle Biscuits, as there are very few things happier than a bag of hundreds and thousands. This recipe is from the Australian Women's Weekly Cookies and you'll need to be prepared to giggle like a school girl as you bake as they are just so much fun Beat 125g soften butter, 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1 egg with an electric mixer until combined. Then sift in 1 1/2 cup plain flour, 1/4 cup self raising flour, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and gently combine. To fully combine the dough you will need to knead it with your hands.

Take a sheet of baking paper, grease and gentle flour the surface and roll the dough until it 5mm thick. Cover it with baking paper and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Then preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced and cut the dough using 3cm round cutters and place them on grease cookie sheets.

Bake the discs for 12 minutes and when they start to firm up on the trays, move them to a cooling rack to complete the process. Though they appear soft and under cooked, I promise that the sugar will set them and you'll be left with delicious chocolaty slightly chewy cookies.

Melt 200g of 70% dark chocolate and pour 1/3 cup of hundreds and thousands into a shallow dish. Coat the plain discs with melted chocolate, dip it into your dish of technicolour goodness and allow them to set. Voila! The most amazing, happy biscuits ever! So simple, but so much fun!

Food Porn

Sam Clifford, all around good bloke tweeted this afternoon, "Hey. Hey Jo. Hey. Hey. Hey hey hey hey hey. Heeeeeyyyyyyy. Jo. Jooooooooo. JO! HEY! HEY JO! HEY JOOO!!!" At first glance I wondered it was was virus but then curiousity got the better of me so I clicked the link and out folded the most glorious piece of food porn. I don't have a soul left to sell, so I'll just have to make this Darkest Chocolate Crepe Cake myself. Stay tuned.

Black Forest Cake

Photograph courtesy of the talented Ryan Barlin

Many moons ago, I was absolutely desotted with a boy so I promised him an amazing birthday dinner: Silverbeet and Salmon Rotolo with lemon cream and Gary Mehigan's Black Forest Cake. No, not the one on the website, but the one featured in Masterchef Magazine Issue 2, and note there are a number of differences. Mainly the latter removes the need to purchase semi candied pitted cherries, which I think makes the sourcing of the ingredients easier and in my opinion the simpler presentation actually improves the look of the cake.

It's a gorgeous cake and actually quite easy to make if you start the mascarpone cream and chocolate praline mousse components a day ahead. For the chocolate praline mousse I recommend purchasing dry roasted hazelnuts as it eliminates the fussy step of roasting the nuts and removing their skins with a tea towel. Also it's important you ensure that the cherry syrup isn't over cooked or you'll end up with a strange toffee mixture that won't penetrate the sponge as you really need a viscose syrup to make the cake moist. Be generous with it and keep zen. If you remain calm you'll pull off this gorgeous creation with ease.

For those curious I did end up delivering on my promise, created a divine feast and he still left me to pursue his career ambitions in a far away town. I've never made a cake for a boy since.

Bread Pudding with Chocolate Beer Sauce

With my Pear and Marsala Crumble Cake going a little pear shaped I decided I would present a Bread Pudding with Chocolate Beer Sauce. This dessert is actually one of my little brother's all time favourites to make as it is delicious and oh so easy to create. Preheat your oven to 180°C and place five large eggs, 5 tablespoons cocoa powder and five tablespoon of raw caster sugar into a mixing bowl and beat until smooth and silky.

Then gradually whisk in 300ml of single cream and 700ml of skim milk.

Take thick slices of white bread and dip into the liquid so they soak up the gorgeous chocolate custard and place on the bottom of a rectangular baking dish. I know Jamie Oliver recommends removing the crusts but where possible I like to minimise waste, so I just leave the crusts on. Then take a few pieces of 70% dark chocolate and a sprinkling of roasted nuts (my recommendation is pecans or hazelnuts) and scatter around the dish. Then repeat until your dish is full and pour the rest of the chocolate custard into the pan.

Once the dish is full, sprinkle with some more nuts and sugar on the top and place into your oven for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and the center wobbles gently. While it is baking, take 100ml dark beer, 100ml double cream and two tablespoon of raw caster sugar and stir until it comes to a gentle boil. Remove from heat and add 100g of 70% dark chocolate. Serve pudding warm with chocolate sauce drizzled over the top. It's glorious and keeps well in the fridge. Yummo!

Flourless Chocolate Cake

The lovely Kath decided to host an Easter Barbecue at her abode so I put up my hand to make dessert. I decided to make the Flourless Chocolate Cake from Australian Womens Weekly Bake. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fanforced and then grease and line a 20cm spring form pan. Take a large mixing bowl and blend 1/3 cup cocoa powder with 1/3 cup of water.

Then stir in 150g melted dark chocolate, 150g melted butter, 1 1/3 cups brown sugar, 1 cup of almond or hazelnut meal and four egg yolks. Mix until combined.

In a separate clean bowl beat four egg whites until soft peak form.

Fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture in two batches.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan and bake for an hour. When the baking is complete stand the cake for 15 minutes before removing the collar and allowing it to cool completely.

I must apologise for such an unflatting shot of the cake but I assure you it's beautifully fudgy and goes down well with a generous dollop of double cream and berries.

Mazet de Montargis Gull's Egg

Ever since I was born, I've always been a hedonistic soul. I like the way things look, feel, smell and taste so it isn't surprising that I was attracted to these gorgeous Gull Easter Eggs by Mazet de Montargis. Mazet de Montargis is a French chocolate company founded by a gentleman named Leo Mazet 107 years ago. The company today makes a range of confectionery including their famous Prasline Mazet de Montargis (an almond toffee). I'm yet to try their Prasline Mazet de Montargis, but if it's anywhere as fantastic as their Gull Easter Eggs you won't be disappointed. These eggs are just beautiful with a thin, crisp candy shell, flecked to mimic the speckled perfection of a gull's egg. It seems almost a pity to break through the shell but when you do, you are rewarded with a soft balanced hazelnut ganche. Heavenly! To experience it for yourself pop down to Black Pearl Epicure or pick them up online from Simon Johnson.

Pistachio Hedgehog Slice

I was invited to a dinner with friends when Facebook kindly alerted to the fact it wasn't just Dean's birthday but also Skye and Newbie's.This meant whipping up something quick from the kitchen and I settled on Pistachio Hedgehog Slice. Here is 220g crumbled sponge fingers, 1/3 cup shredded coconut, 1/2 cup caster sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 1/2 cup of pistachio kernels. The original recipe called for chocolate hazelnut cookies but I honestly think it would be too sweet, thus this minor modification.

I melted 125g unsalted butter, 100g dark chocolate and 1 tablespoon of golden syrup in a saucepan over low heat, until the ingredients combined. When it combined, I removed it from the heat for 10 minutes and whisked in an egg. I then poured this chocolate mixture over the dry ingredients.

Here is everything combined!

Though the recipe asked for a 17cm x 27cm slice tin, I found the ingredients didn't extend that far. Lucky the mixture was extremely accommodating and was easily moulded into shape. Here is the photo of the mixture moulded to half a standard slice tin.

I then topped the slice with 200g of dark chocolate and 50g of butter and popped the pan into the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

After the slice has been set, cut them into your desired shape and serve. Here are my gifts all bagged and ready for the birthday trio to enjoy. Short on time, give this recipe a whirl.

Rocky Road

Kath celebrated her fabulous 30th birthday on the weekend so I thought I would make her a gift worthy of her, the perfect Rocky Road. I'm fussy when it comes to Rocky Road, I like dark chocolate, lots of nuts and fluffy marshmallows. I find addition of Turkish Delight can be hit and miss depending on the sweet but then I found this box of Divan Rose and Lemon Turkish Delight at Black Pearl Epicure and they are amazing. Tasty, gorgeous presentation, lovingly crafted and each cube is the perfect size.

As you can see the rose and lemon flavours are separate and though they are the perfect size for the Turkish Delight lover, I decided to chop each cube in half.

Here is the Turkish Delight combined with 100g of pistachios, 100g of almonds and 250g vanilla marshmallows (I used this recipe to make them and think the homemade version give a better finish). I then rolled the mixture in 500g of melted dark chocolate, smooth it before allowing it to set on a tray lined with greased baking paper. I popped it into the fridge for three hours before cutting it into logs.

I wrapped my log of Rocky Road in cellophane and finished it off with some bold silk cord. Have a go yourself.

It's been a while since I posted a photograph of Baci. So here's one of her surveying her backyard domain.

Perfect Choc Chip Cookies

At lunch time today I slipped on the biggest darkest pair of sunglasses and wandered down to Black Pearl Epicure to stock up on pantry essentials. This means purchasing fine Valrhona cocoa powder, Callebaut choc chips and dark chocolate vermicelli (for fairy bread of course. It's the business). Valrhona and Callebaut will always be my pantry essentials of choice as if you are going to make something with chocolate, you need to use the best.

Valrhona is a French company and is the only chocolatier to produce chocolate from a single variety of bean from a sole harvest. I tend to favour their cocoa powder as it has greater depth of colour than Callebaut. However Callebaut hasn't become the largest chocolate manufacturer in the world by being lacklustre. Callebaut specialises in Belgian chocolate for baking and leaves a lovely full bodied feeling in the mouth. I really like a 70% dark chocolate for eating as I feel 85% is a touch too bitter for the palette. Hold that thought as it will be a lovely segway into my next baking adventure. The quest for perfect Choc Chip Cookies!

I've been invited to a morning tea at work tomorrow so I decided to whip up something quick and settled on Choc Chip Cookies. My Mother has always been a fan of crunchy style cookies, whereas I love a softer texture as it works in harmony with a glass of milk and you're less likely to be caught out by work mates when you're snacking. For those people who follow my preference, I think I've found the perfect recipe on Taste.com.au and it's dead easy. You start by beating all your wet ingredients until they become creamy and then fold in your dry items. You then get the most beautiful dough.

This dough is extremely pliant and it's a satisfying process forming lovely petite domes across a cookie sheet.

After 12 minutes in the oven you're left with light, crisp on the outside and moist on the inside cookies. If you have followed my directions and used the best chocolate you can afford, you should have the most perfect choc chip cookies possible. You'll never want to buy a packet from the supermarket again.

Christmas over, time to kill Jesus

Christmas is over, time to kill Jesus and bring out the Hot Cross Buns. Not just any Hot Cross Bun ... Chocolate Hot Cross Buns! Last Easter I discovered these delicious morsels and decided to give to try make my own using this recipe from Taste.com.au. My Mum and little brother are pretty good at making bread but I've always been more focused on desserts. This is my first attempt so it's not going to be the most attractive thing ever made. Here is the dough and a roughly chopped block of 85% Lindt Dark Chocolate.

I then combined the dough and chocolate and left it to rest for one hour. It was a windy cool day in Brisbane so the dough took longer to rise.

I then kneaded the dough further and separated it into 16 pieces. Though I enjoy this stage, I'm terribly sentimental kind of soul and I feel like some kind of horrible person dividing friends. I have a strange connection with food, I always decapitate my gingerbread men to save them from suffering.

This is the dough after I piped the chocolate paste onto the top. I like the fact you can cheat by snipping a corner off a snap lock bag.

Here is the finished Chocolate Hot Cross Buns with a St. Dalfour Apricot Jam glaze (yes it's precise but its been my jam of choice for years). Though it was fun making my own Hot Cross Buns, I think this is one of the few cases where I prefer to head to a local bakery.

New Year's Eve

"The only way to spend New Year's Eve is either quietly with friends or in a brothel. Otherwise when the evening ends and people pair off, someone is bound to be left in tears." - W.H. Auden.

I subscribe to the W.H. Auden school of thought when it comes to New Year's Eve. Since I would rather spend it in the company of friends, as opposed to shagging a random stranger, I decided to host a dinner party. Entree was an Anti-Pasto Plate and Pork and Veal Terrine, main was Osso Buco with Soft Polenta or for those with allergies Roast Lamb with Chat Potatoes and Roast Pumpkin and a Berry Pavlova for dessert.

We also made Champagne Cocktails. Champagne Cocktails are so easy and delicious - blend one bottle of pink Champagne, one tub of lemon sorbet and serve in a champagne flute with fresh strawberries. Here are some food snaps from the evening:

Pork and Veal Terrine. My recipe comes from the lovely Marcus and features a number delicious ingredients - brandy, cream, pistachio nuts and moreish chicken livers. Mmm.

Berry Pavlova. The recipe comes from the 'Women's Weekly Cooking School' cookbook. I finished the Pavlova with Chantilly Creme.

The majority of the chocolates come from Chocolate to Die For (bar the Mint Cameos which come from the Blue Cat). Chocolate to Die For changed ownership about a month ago but the girls are still as friendly as ever. The new owner even has ambitions to make her own chocolates on site so stay tuned.

Ah my nemesis, we meet again

Everyone has a nemesis - Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader, Dr Who/the Master, Queen Elizabeth/Mary, Queen of Scots and the list goes on. My culinary nemesis is the crepe as the result is too thick, too thin and/or stuck. However, I'm determined to get it right and have been using this basic crepe recipe to practice.

My favourite crepe filling has always been chocolate and strawberries. Here is a simple chocolate ganache I made from 1/3 cup of cream and 250g of 70% dark chocolate.

Plentiful amounts of sliced fresh strawberries are a must.

Towards the end of my epic crepe battle, I started to produce something vaguely resembling a crepe. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the upper hand on this dastardly villain:

• Crepes should be cooked on medium heat.
  
• Have a small dish of soften butter and a pastry brush on hand to slightly oil the pan before you ladle the crepe batter into the pan.
  
• Only flip the crepe when it is cooked. You will know it is cooked as the edges will curl slightly and like pancakes, small bubbles will appear.
  
• As I continued to make the crepes, I found the batter was thicker at the bottom of the bowl. I would suggest adding a little milk to keep the batter viscous.

Hopefully these tips will assist you to produce beautiful crepes and minimise the amount that look like this:

Caffarel: A Love Story

When we think of where the world's best and most famous Chocolatiers reside, our minds bypass Italy and head straight to Belgium and Switzerland. But Italy does make some fabulous chocolates, think - Baci Perugina, Ferrero Rochers and Caffarel. Caffarel? I hear you asking. As a certified chocaholic, I hadn't heard of them either, until my recent lunch time dash to Black Pearl Epicure for some pantry essentials. As I stood at the counter my gaze fell upon a basket of distinctive red and gold foiled cubes. They were so visually appealing so I made the impulse decision to purchase a bag. From the moment I saw these petite chocolates, I was in love. I loved how each morsel was a piece of art, lovingly wrapped to reveal a smooth velvet chocolate, accented with hazelnuts.

Chocolates from Belgium and Switzerland are so good, they probably should be illegal, but what sets Italian chocolate apart is the passion. Let us examine this statement through images ...

Apart from those aesthetically pleasing cubes, Caffarel also make a range of products. The gold foiled chocolate on the far right is the company's flagship product, the boat shaped Gianduia (pronounced john-doo-ya). Gianduia is a combination of milk chocolate and hazelnuts and to us modern folk this is a classic combination. But back in 1856, Gianduia was born of necessity. In the turbulent years that followed the Napoleonic wars, exotic chocolate was rationed, so Chocolatiers mixed chocolate with local hazelnuts to extend the precious ingredient. Thank goodness they did.




Milk chocolate hearts are one of the more simple items a Chocolatier's repertoire ... so it was a pleasant surprise to find this dainty heart had a message. Love isn't a solitary bold gesture, it is spoken in numerous ways and it is evident there is volumes of love and passion in Italian chocolate. So don't forget about Italy when you think chocolate. She is there waiting to be discovered and loved. Viva Italian Chocolate!